The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1887-01-28
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
Salient Features OF the Interstate Com
merce Bill Passed by Both Houses OF
Congress and Now Awaiting the Presi-
dents Signature.

Salient Features of the Interstate Com :
merce Bin Passed by Both Houses OF
dents Signature.
" tsHrreroy. Jan. 2a-The Interstate
Commerce bill, as agreed upon by both
Houses of Congress, provides that all
charges made for any service rendered IN
the transportation of passengers or prop
| erty by common carriers shall be
reasonable and just, and every
unjust and unreasonable charge for such
service is prohibited and declared to be
unlawful
Section two makes it unlawful for any
common carrier to charge or receive
| directly or indirectly from an persons a
| greater or less compensation for any SER
vice rendered in the transportation Of
passengers or property than it charges,
or receives from any other person or per-
sons for doing a like and contemporane-
| GUS service in this transportation Of like
kind of traffic under substan TALLY similar
circumstances and conditions.
Section three makes it lawful Ior any
common carrier to make or give any undue
or unreasonable preference or advantage
to any particular person, company, firm,
corporation or locality or any particular
description of traffic.
Sections four and five (the long and
short haul and pooling sectionsl are as
followsi
SECTION L. That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier, subject to the Provisions OF
this act to charge or receive any greater com
peAsstion in the aggregate for the transpOrta-
tiOn Of passengers or Of like kind OF property
under substantially similar circumstances and
conditions, for a shorter than for longer dis
tance over the same line in the same direction,
the shorter being included within the
longer distance; but this shall not
be construed as authorizing any common
Of m, 00a
and receive as great compensation for shorter
as for a longer distancei provided, however,
that upon application TO the commission ap-
pointed under the provisions Of this act such
common carrier may, in special cases, after in
vestigation by the commission, be authorized
| to charge less for longer than for shorter dis
tances for the transportation Of passengers OF
property; and the commission may from time
to time prescribe the extent to which such
designated common carrier may be relieved
from the operation of this section Of this act.
SEC. 5. That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier, subject to the provisions of
this aot, to enter into any contract agreement
or combination with any other common carrier
or carriers for the pooling of freights Of differ
ent and competing railroads, or to divide
between them the aggregate or net proceeds OF
the earnings of such railroads or any proper
tion thereof; and in any case of agreement for
the pooling Of freights as aforesaid, each day of
it's continuance shall be deemed a separate
ofense.
Section six requires that after ninety days
from the passage of the act every common
carrier subject to it's provisions shall have
printed and kept for public inspection
schedules showing rates, fares and
charges, and in addition to requiring the
railroads to give publicity at all of the
depots on their several lines, it gives au-
thority to the commits sion, where it is
proper and necessary, to require them
to give publicity to their rates to other
places beyond the lines of their several
railroads. 1t also provides that the rates,
fares and charges shall not be raised ex-
cept after ten days of public notice, but
that they may be reduced without pre-
vious public notice; the notice, however,
shall be Simultaneous with the reduction
itself.
Section seven makes it unlawful for
any common carrier to enter into any
combination or agreement to prevent the
carriage of freights from being contlnu-
Gus from the place Of destination.
Section eight declares that any common
carrier violating the provisions of the act
shall be liable to the person or persons in
jured thereby for the full amount of dam
ages sustained in consequence of any sue h
violation, together with a reasonable
counsel or attorneys fees.
The ninth section provides that persons
claiming to have been damaged by the
action of common carriers may proceed
for recovery of their damages either in
the courts Of the United States or before
the commission, but not before both
tribunals.
The tenth section makes it a penal of
fense to violate any of the provisions Of
this act, and puts the maximum of the
fine which may be imposed at the sum of
five thousand dollars.
The seven following sections contain the
commission features Of the bill They
provide for a commission to consist of five
persons, appointed by the President by,
and with the advice of the Senate, whose
term of Office shall be for six years except
for the first appointments, which are to
be for two, three, four, five and six years.
Their principal Office shall be in Washing
ton, but they may hold sessions at other
places than Washington, and single
member OF the commission may take testi-
mony any where, as may be directed by
the commission. These commissioners
have salaries of 81, 500 each. The commls
sion has the power to appoint
a secretary with an annual salary
of $500 and has authority to
employ and fix the compensation of such
other employees as it may find necessary
to the proper performance of its duties,
subject to the approval of the Secretary
Of the Interior. 1t is also provided that
uOChilS COuCdlu6u III JuS aCJ shall dDElug6
the remedies now existing at common law
or by statute.
Section twenty-three aDpropriates $780,
900 for the purposes of the act for the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1888.
Section tWenty-fOur provides that the
provisions of the sections relating to the
appointment and organization of the com
mission shall take effect Immediately, and
that the remaining provisions of the act
shall take effect sixty days after its
passage.